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I'm looking at buying a new '11 1500 crew cab. Never owned a Dodge before. I am a little leery because of the reputation dodge has had in the past. I guess what i'm looking for is what are the major issues with these trucks and how common they may or may not be. Posting in this forum because the 09's should have the most mileage on them.

I also realize asking this question on a Dodge forum is likely to get some biased responses, but i'll take my chances....

I bought my 2010 ram 1500 quad cab used at the beginning of the year. I've put about 10k miles on it in 8 months, and have had almost no issues. My third brake light seal leaked water(common on these 4th gen trucks). That was a ~$8 fix and took me about 30 minutes, hasn't leaked in months now. I have some aftermarket wheels/tires on my truck and had issues getting them properly balanced, but that has nothing to do with dodge. Dodges newer trucks (3rd gen and newer) are far better quality than the previous ones, not that they were horrible. Many people give dodge a bad rep as far as their transmissions, but as far as I'm concerned with the 3rd gen and 4th gen trucks that is no longer an issue at all (assuming you don't drive like a maniac....some guys pushing more hp and tq out of their trucks and drag racing have blown their transmissions). This truck and my old s10 are the best vehicles I've owned. My ram has about 50k miles on it. I assume you're looking at getting a Hemi, I think some have had issues with MDS but other than that they are great engines (so is the 4.7L). I recommend you get 3.92 gearing and LSD if possible, makes it a lot better to drive...

i've only owned my Ram for 2000 miles so i can't weigh in on reliability. one thing to keep in mind (and maybe you already have this mindset) is that forums are the vocal minority when it comes to problems. in other words, don't be dissuaded if you come across numerous threads saying "OMG my _________ failed after only XXXX miles!" because all manufacturers have hiccups along the assembly line. and nobody logs onto forums to start threads titled "SO IMPRESSED! my rear differential is still functioning after 10,000 miles!". this goes for all manufacturers and their respective internet forums. again you might already be aware of this, just thought it's worth mentioning.

I have 34,000 miles on mine it has never left me stranded . I did have to get the third brakelight resealed due to a leak but they took care of it . I also had to have rear bumper replaced due to rust also transmission resealed due to small leak . I love my truck except for two things one is Electronic stability control (ESC) and the other is torque management and from my understanding thats not a dodge thing thats a government thing

I really appreciate all the responses. I currently have an 05 F150, and i know that most of the time i'm on a ford forum, its because i have a problem. I certainly know how the interwebs can work. I'm pretty much sold on either a laramie or an outdoorsman, depending on the deal i can get on the laramie. I know that they all have problems, (looking at needing a new motor on current truck soon) just trying to get a handle on what they are with the dodges. I pretty much love these new dodges, so i guess i'm also trying to get a little more grounded on them. Again, appreciate all the replies.

The HEMI is well proven at least in my eyes. I used to be a Ford guy as well, although I have no issues with them, I just found the 5.4L reminded me too much of the old 351M's. gutless. I now have my 3rd Dodge in a row, (first Ram 1500) i have 44 xxx on the ODO. I like it a lot. I have an 09 crew. I've had zero problems with it. It has had a couple of recalls, however its never had a failure. It blows my co-workers '11 chev away in every aspect. similarily equipped the Ram has a 100% nicer interior, more room, better fuel economy 5.7 vs 5.3 and about 100 more horsepower. I find the crew cab chev is a weak attempt. first time i tried to get out of the back seat my foot got wedged in between the seat base and the pillar and I damn near did a faceplant. And i can put a rearfacing infant carseat behind the driver seat without moving my seat ahead

23,500 miles in almost 2 years including a coast to coast drive and the truck runs great...looking forward to buying my next one. the power is awesome with the HEMI and the ride is outstanding.
here are some of the things people don't like. most of the items are easily fixed.http://www.ramforumz.com/showthread.php?t=87761

I'm on Ram #3 in a row, and if I continue to have the success and enjoyability I've had with these 3, I will likely be driving Rams for many years to come.

If you do get a Ram, I would recommend purchasing a Sonnax line pressure booster for the trans. In an effort to make the trans shift so smooth that it's almost unnoticeable, they run the internal pressure a little low for the power the Hemi puts out. The Sonnax unit (~$49 and 3 minutes to install by a complete novice), boosts this internal pressure by a few psi to firm up the shifts and reduce/eliminate slippage, which will increase the trans life by a mile. Only consideration - Any mod you do 'can' cause warranty issues, but a good relationship with your service department will make this much less of an issue.

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brad

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